Headlight.



No. 763,648. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1904. F c. & G. L. WILSON.

HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 2 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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' No. 763.648- PATENTBD JUNE 28, 1904,

F G. & G. L. WILSON.

HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION rum) JAN. 2, 190a.

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UN ITEED STATES Patented June 28,v 1904.

PATENT @FFMJE.

F OORTEZ WILSON, OF CHICAGO, AND GEORGE LANDIS WILSON, OF

I OAKBARK, ILLINOIS.

HEADLIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,648, dated June 28,1904.

' Application filed January 2,1903.v SerialN0-137.386. (N0 model.)

more particularly to that class of such head lights which are designedto use acetylene or other gasto produce the illuminating-flame. I Aprincipal object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionin lanterns of the character referred to, and particularly to provide aform of reflector which shall utilize the illuminating power of theflame to the highest possible degree and which shall at the same timeprovide ventilation for the burner in such manner as to reduce thetarnishing of the reflector that ordinarily results from the overheatingof the reflecting-surface by the illuminating-flame. and avoid theunsightly holes heretofore provided for this purpose, which have beenfound undesirable, also, on

account of the darkened spots in the illumi-.

nated area which result from the absence of reflecting-surface in thefield of the parabola.

Theinvention also contemplates various improvements in the mechanicalconstruction of the lantern to facilitate access to all parts, so thatit may be more readily cleaned and its reflecting-surface polished, andwhich are conducive to economy in manufacture and ease of assembling ordissembling its parts.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description ofthe construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a locomotive-headlightconstructed in accordance with our improvements. Fig. 2 is an outsideelevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear eleva tion, partly in section. Fig.4 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of the lanternseparated from each other. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of thehand-hole closure to which the back reflector is secured. Fig. 6 is asectional detail showing the manner of fastening the front glass of thelantern at its top.

In said drawings, 1 designates the cylindric body of the lantern, 2 itsrear wall, and 3 its glass front. This latter, as better shown in Fig.4, is removably secured upon the body of the lantern by means of a stud5 and springlatch 6, which engage the annular flange 7 of the front atits top and bottom. To place the front in position, its top is tippedtoward the body of the lantern, as shown in Fig. 6, so that a suitablehole 8 in the flange 7 can be hooked over the stud 5, after which it isswung in at its bottom until the flange 7 of the front incloses the endof the body of the lantern and until thespring-latch 6 snaps over anannular bead or band 9, provided around the rear edge of the flange 7.The burner B of the lantern is located pretty well back toward the rearof the cylindric body 1 and is herein shown as carried upon the upperend of a vertical gas-v pipe 10, that is rigidly secured at 11 to thebottom of the body 1. The burner-pipe-lO is supplied with gas by a shorthorizontal pipe 12, that projects out through the rear wall 2 of thelantern-body and has a nipple 13. b v which connection may be made withany suitable generator or storage tank which supplies gas to the latter.The pipe 12 may also be used asa purifier, and for this purpose it isherein shown as considerably larger in diameter thanthe pipe 10, so thatit can be stuffed with cotton,-hair, or other suitable filteringmaterial, the end of the pipe being provided with screw-plugsl f, one'orboth of which can be removed to enable the scrubbing material to bewithdrawn and replaced as desired.

One of the principal difliculties heretofore encounteredinutilizingacetylenegas as anilluminant for headlights has been thetendency of the exceedingly hot flame to tarnish the reflector in thoseparts-immediately superjacent to the burner, and various attempts havebeen made to provide ventilating-apertures in the reflector which wouldcarry away the heat and prevent the tarnishing action without detractingtoo greatly from the efliciency of the reflector in projecting thelight. In the present ll p 4 v improvement the necessary ventilation isprovided and the reflector largely protected from tarnishing under theheat of the flame and products of combustion by making it in twodistinct sections and separating these sections at the point where theburner-pipe enters and far enough to permit the heat to pass up betweenthe sections at the top without materially affecting either of them. Atthe same time the efliciency of the reflector is substantially preservedby making both sections of parabolic form and by arranging them so thattheir foci lie substantially coincident and in the immediate vicinity ofthe burner-flame.

As herein shown, the rear reflector 15 is a shallow dish-shaped sectionmounted at the front end of a removable hand-hole closure. This closure,Fig. 5, is removably inserted through a central aperture in the rearwall 2 of the lantern and flts within an inclosing cylinder 17, that ispermanently attached to the said wall 2. The outer diameter of theclosure 16 is made slightly less than the inner diameter of the cylinder17 and the closure is directly supported by a plurality of bearingstrips18, in this instance three in number, that are secured at suitableintervals around the inner surface of the cylinder 7. When the closureis thrust into the cylinder, it

tightly engages the bearing-strips 18 and by slightly distorting thecylinder causes the latter to securely grip the cover that holds it andthe reflector 16 tightly in place with its axis concentric with the axisof the reflector in front of the burner. As herein shown, the reflector15 is removably secured in the front end of the closure 16 by a bolt 19,which extends through from the front side of the reflector to the backside 20 of the closure, where it is provided with a nut 21. Thetightening of this bolt draws the reflector into the cover until theedge 22 of the reflector strikes an inturned bead 23 of the closure andis clamped in place against it. Ahandle 24 on the back of theclosureenables the latter to be inserted or withdrawn at will despite thefrictional engagement of the bearing strips 18, and a spring-latch Lnormally locks the closure in place when thrust home.

The inclosing cylinder 17, which receives the closure 16, extends intothe lanterns somewhat beyond the front end of the closure and is flaredout at 25 to support the rear end of the front reflector 26. The latterat its front or large end 27 is of substantially the same diameter asthe interior of the cylindric casing 1 of the reflector, into which itclosely fits, while at its small or rear end it is of about the samediameter as the rear reflector 15. After the reflector has been pushedhome in the casing until its rear end is securely seated in the flaredfront end 25 of the .cylinder 17 it is locked in position by a ring 28,that is detachably secured within the casing 1 by screws 29. By removingthis ring the front reflector may at any time be withdrawn for cleaning,polishing, or refinishing. That portion of the cylinder 17 interveningbetween the front edge of the reflector 15 and the rear edge of thereflector 26 is provided with a number of apertures 30, which establishopen communication between the interior of the reflectors and thesurrounding body of the lantern. The burner- I pipe 10 extends upthrough the lowest of these apertures, while the products of combustionescape through the uppermost aperture 31, which is enlarged to extendpretty well over the top of the cylinder. This latter aperture isinclosed by a hood 32, which slopes upwardly and rearwardly from thecylinder 17 and directs the products of combustion out through apertures33 in the rear wall 2 of the lantern-casing near its upper edge. The endwalls of this hood 32 are fitted close to the cylinder 17, but are-notseamed or soldered thereto, and any rain or moisture beating into thecylinder through the holes 33 can flow down around the cylinder 17 andescape at the bottom of the lantern through an aperture 35 provided forthe purpose. I

Both the rear reflector 15 and the front reflector 26 in thisimprovement are of parabolic shape, and both are so arranged withrespect to the burner B that the rays of light cmanating from the flameat the burner will be reflected through the glass front of the lanternin substantially parallel linesthat is to say, the reflectors are soarranged that the foci and axis of their respective parabola ofcurvature are coincident with each other and the foci lie atsubstantially the exact point where the center of the illuminating-flameis located, which in this instance is assumed to be on the central axisa of the lantern and directly aboveand in line with the burner. Underthese circumstances any ray of lightR emanating from the flame at theburner and striking the rear reflector 16 will be reflected directlyforward in a line 7' parallel with the axis a of the lantern, while atthe same time any ray of light R emanating from the illuminating-flameand striking the front reflector 26 will be reflected through the frontof the lantern in a line 9-, which is also parallel to the axis of thelantern.

By this construction ample ventilation is provided for the flame throughapertures 30 and 31 in the annular space between the reflectors, and theheat and products of combustion are so completely carried off in thismanner as to substantially protect the metal of the reflectors from thattarnishing and discoloration which ordinarily results from the heat ofthe illuminating-flame. At the same time a larger and more effectivereflecting-surface is provided than if the-two reflecting-sections weremade as parts of the same parabolic reflector from which a portion equalto the space between the sections 15 and 26 was cut away. Furthermore,this escape of light between the reflectors is not cntirelylost, but isutilized in the illumination of side lights S and S, which desirablycarry a transparency showing the number of the locomotive on which theheadlight is'placed or any other character or insignia which it isdesired to place there. One of these side lights is desirably hinged sothat it may be readily swung back to give access to the interior of thelantern, which will usually be lighted through the aperture thusprovided by swinging back the side light. In order to permit the sidelights to stand plumb or in vertical planes,

the outer casing of the lantern is builtout at 86 to meet the lowerportions of the side-light frames and, as herein shown, apertures 37 areprovided in the bottom of these built-out portions to'admit the air bywhich the combustion of gas at the burner is maintained and thetemperature within the casing kept low.

The entire lantern is shown as supported upon legs 38, each of whichconsists of a single strip of iron'extending across beneath the glassfront will render the frontreflector suffieiently accessible forcleaning and polishing purposes; but in case it is desired to remove itentirely it is only necessary to take out the screws 29 and ring 28,when the reflector 26 may be withdrawn. The rear reflector 15 is mosteasily gotten at by taking out the closure 16, which can readily be doneat any time by depressing the latch L so as to release the closure andthen pulling on its handle 24, and when both reflectors are thuswithdrawn the entire interior of the lantern is accessible. Acover-plate 4:0 is desirably provided to protect the glass front whenthe reflector is not in use, and this cover-plate is herein shown asremovably secured in place by means of a cross-bar 41, the ends of whichdrop into slots 42 in clips 43, that project forwardly from the sides ofthe lantern for the purpose.

Although particularly designed and more especially intended for use aslocomotive-headlights, it will be understood that lanterns constructedin accordance with this invention may be employed for other purposes andin other connections and modified in any necessary manner to that end,and it will also be understood that various changes may be made in thedetails of construction shown without departure from the broad spirit ofthe invention claimed, particularly in so far as relates to the form andarrangement of the duplex parabolic reflector which constitutes theprincipal feature of the claimed improvement.

Vi e claim as our invention 1. A lantern provided with a burner, aconcave reflector behind the'burner and being rearwardly removable, anda separate reflector in front of the burner, said reflectors being.practically parabolic in curvature and being arranged with their fociand axes substantially coincident and the foei adjacent to theburnerflame, substantially asedescribed.

2; A lantern provided with aburner, a truncated parabolic reflector infront of the burner, and a concave parabolic reflector behind theburner, said reflectors being arranged with their 'foci and axescoincident Tand the foci adjacent to the burner-flame, anilb'eing'separated by a substantially cylindrical ventilating-space and anapertured cylinder extending across this space, substantially asdescribed.

3. In combination, a lantern-casing, a front reflector inclosed therein,a rearreflector in closed therein, a burner intermediate the tworeflectors, and means whereb'y'the front reflector may be removed fromthe front of the casing and the rear reflector from the rear of Y thecasing, substantially as described.

,4. A lantern comprising anouter casing, a burner with n the casing, areflector within the casing in front of the burner, and aconcavereflector behind the burner, said concave reflector being mounted in aremovable carrier closing an aperture in a wall of thelantern,substantially as described.

5. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the'casing,a supporting-cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall ofthe casing, a reflector supported at its front end by the casing and atits rear end'by said supporting-cylinder, and a concave reflectormounted on a closure device extending into said cylinder, substantiallyas described.

6. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing,a reflector in front of the burner, a cylinder extending into thelantern from the rear wall of the casing to support the rear end of thefront reflector, a closure closing said cylinder, and a reflectormounted behind the burner upon said closure, substantially as described.

7. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing,a cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casingand flared at its front end, a reflector in the outer casing at itsfront end and seated at its rear end in the flaring front of saidcylinder, and a reflector within the cylinder behind the burner,substantially as described.

8. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing,a reflector supported at its front end by the casing and at its rear endby a concentric support into which it is fitted, and a suitableretaining device in the casing in the front of the reflector to hold itseated in said support, substantially as described.

9. A lantern provided with an outer casing,

a burner within the casing, a reflector fitting within the outer casingat its front end, a cylinder extending into the lantern from the rearwall of the casing and forming a supporting-seat for the rear end ofsaid reflector, removable retaining devices in the casing in the frontof the front reflector, a closure for the cylinder, and a concavereflector mounted in said closure, substantially as described.

10. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing,a reflector within the casing in front of the burner, a cylinderextending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casing to supportthe rear end of the front reflector, a concave reflector within thecylinder behind the burner, and ventilatingapertures in the cylinderbetween a the reflectors, substantially as described.

11. In a lantern, the combination of an outer casing having an openingin its rear wall for the escape of products of combustion, a burnerwithin the casing, a reflector in front of the burner and a reflector inthe rear of the burner spaced apart from the front reflector, and a hoodabove the space between the reflectors for directing the products-ofcombustion to said escape-opening, said hood extending from a point infront of said space upwardly and rearwardly toward said escape-opening,for the purpose set forth.

12. A lantern comprising an outer casing, a burner within the casing, acylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casingpast the burner, a reflector in front of the cylinder, a concavereflector within the cylinder behind the burner, apertures in thesurrounding wall of the cylinder between the reflectors and a rearwardlysloping hood covering the upper apertures in the cylinder and extendingup to apertures in the outer casing of the lantern, substantially asdescribed.

13. A lantern comprising an outer casing, a burner within the casing, anaperture in the rear wall of the casing behind the burner, a cylindricclosure normally closing said aperture, a bearing'in said cylindricclosure, a concave reflector inserted in said closure against saidbearing and a bolt passing through the reflector and rear wall of theclosure to secure the reflector in place, substantially as described.

14. A lantern provided with a burner, a reflector in front of theburner, and a concave reflector behind the burner, an aperturedconnecting-cylinder affording a clear ventilatingspace, and side lightson the casing illuminated from the interior of the reflector through theapertures in said cylinder, substantially as described.

15. In combination, a lantern-casing, a cylinder extending into thecasing from the rear, a rearwardly-removable reflector supported in thiscylinder, a burner in front of this reflector and another reflector infront of the burner, for the purposes set forth.

16. In combination, a lantern casing, a burner therein, a cylinderextending into the casing from the rear Wall thereof, frictionstrips inthis cylinder, a removable closurecylinder fitting Within the aforesaidcylinder and engaging said strips, and a reflector carried by thisclosure-cylinder.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as F CORTEZ WILSON. GEO. LANDISWILSON.

Witnesses:

HENRY WV. CARTER, K. A. Cos'rELLo.

